


Bang

by GhostOfTasslehoff



Series: Who We Are In The Dark [1]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, First Kiss, L and Light continue to be physically competitive little shits, L and Light fought recently, L is conflicted about what he wants, Laser Tag, L’s POV, M/M, Surprise Kissing, Team Bonding, and L is definitely still mad about it, inner monologue, pre-Yotsuba arc, task force is in new building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 18:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15955214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostOfTasslehoff/pseuds/GhostOfTasslehoff
Summary: Two weeks after L and Light get handcuffed together, morale is low. Matsuda suggests the task force go laser tagging together as a team bonding exercise. It works.





	Bang

**Author's Note:**

> Someone posted a prompt about going laser tagging, kissing in a corner and one person shooting the other and walking away. This is what came out.
> 
> This is unbeta’d. Any mistakes are mine. Characters of course do not belong to me, I’m merely playing with them.

Matsuda was the one who initially brought it up. A ‘bonding exercise’, he called it, his hopeful tone clearly broadcasting that he wanted to feel useful after all the digs at his ‘stupidity’. At first, it seemed like his idea would be shot down, as, one by one, the rest of the task force called it ‘stupid’ or ‘a frivolous waste of time’, or even ‘undignified for the team dedicated to catching Kira’.

L listened dispassionately to everyone’s objections as he stared obliquely over at Light, nibbling at his thumbnail as he assessed the situation for himself. Light in particular, though he didn’t outright _say_ anything, seemed to agree with the sentiment that playing a game of laser tag as a group would be a colossal waste of time. Every subtle roll of his eyes and tightening of his lips, every sharp nod, every irritated twitch of the chain hanging between them, and the forceful way his fingers clacked the keys of his keyboard said as much. Humming tunelessly to himself, L dragged his thumb across his lip idly. It was true that they wouldn’t be making any headway on the Kira case, there was no denying that, he reasoned, but it _would_ serve a different purpose. After all, the rest of the task force wasn’t as used to working night and day on cases the way he was, and tempers had been extremely short since there had been no new leads in the last two weeks. _Obviously_ , playing one game would give everyone a bit of stress relief, take their mind off the case, and maybe give them a fresh perspective when they came _back_ to it. And of course, for his own investigation, it would be a good way to get more perspective on what made Light tick, in a lighter setting... or, more specifically, a lighter setting that wasn’t a ‘date’ he was clearly intruding on.

His gaze drifted over to the others, and, upon seeing Matsuda’s crestfallen expression, he decided to go for it and spoke up. “Actually, Matsuda-san’s idea is a good one.”

The silence that followed was absolute as every head turned to gape at him. He stared back at each one in turn and then swiveled around to start typing at his terminal, only pausing to pick up his coffee cup and take a sip.

“We haven’t had any leads since Light-kun and Misa-san were released from confinement, and with tempers as short as they are, our collective productivity in the last week has dropped below thirty percent. If we continue to try and force our productivity, we might be missing something that’s right in front of us. Maybe some _mindless fun_ is just what everyone needs to recharge.”

Silence reigned for a long moment after he finished speaking, and he continued to type, eyes scanning quickly over the results of his query as he waited for the inevitable response. _And three, two_...

“Ryuzaki, surely you don’t mean for us to actually do this,” Light burst out, clearly unable to stand the silence anymore.

_There we go._

“On the contrary, Light-kun,” he responded coolly, putting a subtle emphasis on the honorific and giving Light a brief, flat look before turning away again. “I think you, in particular, would benefit from such an outing. It might give you a target other than myself to vent your frustrations.”

As Light sputtered indignantly, and an aborted snort came from one of the others, L brought his coffee cup back up to his lips to hide the smirk that tugged at his features. He had to admit, it was somewhat satisfying to be able to get a small dig in at Light. He still hadn’t quite forgiven the teen for punching him around the other day.

“So, _if_ we are going to do this,” Soichiro said loudly, attempting to pull focus from the childish sniping. “- who is making the arrangements? And when should we schedule it?”

“Oh, I already looked-“ Matsuda began, just as L said, “This afternoon might-“

Both men stopped and looked at each other. L waved a hand vaguely as if to say, ‘go on’, an irritated frown on his face.

“S-sorry, Ryuzaki-san,” Matsuda said, cheeks going red. “But I actually- I already looked up the best places that offer it before bringing the idea up. And- well, there are three places that are open today, if you were really thinking today would be a good day to do it.”

“Then Matsuda-san, you book the center with the best reviews, and text everyone the information when you have confirmed time and place,” L said, pushing back from the desk slightly and unfolding himself from his chair, shoving his hands into his pockets as he turned to face the rest of the group. “I will have Watari make the financial arrangements, and the rest of you are free to go and get changed into more casual clothes. If you want to make your way separately, that is fine, but otherwise you will meet us back here within the hour. Light-kun, come with me.”

“Ryuzaki, I did not agree to this!” Light said fiercely, scowling in L’s general direction.

L looked up at Light for a moment and then walked right past him without expression as he said, “You don’t have a choice in the matter. I can’t make you have fun, but as I have never played laser tag myself, I plan to enjoy myself.” He felt resistance on the chain as he reached the stairs, and he glanced back, glowering now as he tugged hard on the chain. It did not escape his notice that the others had already started to make their escape while Light was being difficult. “And where I go, you go. _Come_ , Yagami-kun.”

“I am NOT a pet, Ryuzaki,” Light declared, resisting for a moment more before dropping the defiance and starting after him as if he had been going that way anyway.

“Whatever you say, _Light-kun_.” His subtle emphasis on the honorific made Light clench his jaw, and L smiled in satisfaction again, taking up a stride to match Light’s as the teen reached him. He felt better enough to add in a tone that was meant to be reassuring, “Who knows, you might enjoy yourself, too. And there will be no _Misa_ to annoy you today.”

That did seem to make Light relax, so L mentally counted it a victory, the small smile staying in place until they reached their shared room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As it turned out, laser tag was quite a bit more of a workout than L had expected. They had ended up booking the centre for three hours, and it was FUN. The physicality wasn’t quite as demanding as tennis, true, but it was more mentally rewarding, as he and Light had to quickly work out how to coordinate as a two person team without being able to talk too much, and without giving away their position due to the chain. And the competitive nature of the game was definitely high, as they had suffered a humiliating defeat by none other than _**Matsuda**_ in the very first match, and obviously that wouldn’t do. By the time the two hour mark rolled around, it was time for a break, and the tally stood with each member of the task force winning one or two matches each... and L and Light winning five together.

“I think I would actually like to play this more often,” L announced as he sat down at one of the tables in the break area with a sickeningly sweet looking concoction. Light laughed breathlessly, patting his face dry with a napkin as his father sat down beside him. L stuck a spoonful in his mouth and savoured it before swallowing, gesturing around with the spoon. “It’s a good exercise, don’t you think, Light-kun?”

“You’re only saying that because you two have been the last ones standing for more rounds than the rest of us,” Matsuda said with a laugh, cheeks flushed from exertion (and probably happiness, the man was ridiculously easy to please on a good day) as he sat down beside L, a beer in his hand.

“No, I truly find it fun,” L said, giving everyone a small smile before tucking into his sundae in earnest.

“Well, I suppose I _am_ having more fun than I was expecting,” Light admitted, swatting at L playfully with another napkin. “You’re all sweaty. Why don’t you dry your face?”

“Can’t talk, ice cream,” L said around the spoon, his words muffled as he batted the paper away. He continued to eat, staring at Light defiantly as he scooted his chair slightly away from the teen.

“Right, right, melting ice cream is more important than being sticky and gross,” Light laughed, reaching over to press the napkin to L’s cheek. It stuck. It looked ridiculous enough that all three of them burst into laughter, even more so when L glared around at them, the spoon still stuffed in his mouth.

“I’ll have you know,” L began in an exaggeratedly lofty tone, holding his spoon up like it was a pointer for some sort of presentation. “-that I do not _get_ sticky and gross. I merely exude awesome.”

It felt a little ridiculous to him to boast like that, but the joking around was ultimately gratifying when it had the intended effect of making everyone laugh again. Matsuda slapped him on the back with an ‘atta-boy’ grin, and Light gave him a fond smile as he propped his chin on his hand. Soichiro even gave him a fond look, almost like he had made the man proud in some way. It reminded him of the way the elder Yagami looked at Light - was the man starting to see him as a surrogate son? The idle speculation made him feel oddly warm inside, and he looked down, a tiny smile on his face as he returned to eating his sundae. The others talked around him, and this time he didn’t feel like he was on the outside of the conversation, simply observing... he felt like he was included, even though he didn’t say anything else. More than that, he could feel Light’s eyes resting on him like a warm weight, and it didn’t have the feel it normally did, either. He shifted his gaze to meet Light’s, and sure enough, that gaze was fondly exasperated rather than irritated to the point of violence. Arching one eyebrow slightly, L put his spoon down and rested his hand on his knee.

“Yes, Light-kun?” he asked, ignoring the other two men for now.

“I still can’t believe you actually agreed to have us all do this,” Light said quietly, chin still propped in his hand, lips quirking up in a smile.

“Why not?” L countered, tapping his fingers idly against his knees. “I _do_ like to do fun things, too. Too much work is bad for anyone.”

“Oh?”

Light sounded genuinely surprised by that, and L suddenly grinned at him, picking his sundae back up and resting it on his knees to finish it off. “Of course. I’m just as human as you are.”

“Hmm...” 

A mischievous light sparked in Light’s eyes at that, and for a moment, it felt like the bottom of his stomach dropped out. _That_ had only ever happened to him when he went on a roller coaster, and L’s eyes widened in sudden intuition before he shoved a big spoonful into his mouth. Sure enough, Light grabbed his hand and tugged him up, his (luckily) mostly empty dish clattering to the floor as he was dragged into the maze again. Light grabbed a couple of the laser guns on his way past, laughing as he shoved one of them into L’s free hand and called out to Aizawa and Mogi that they were joining the current match. By this time, L had been forced to drop the spoon, and he tried to pull his hand from Light’s grip, but Light just held on. 

It seemed like Light wasn’t actually intending to join the match, because L could hear roughly where they were as a cry of triumph could be heard, and Light was determinedly tugging him away from that sound. L opened his mouth to bring it up, and Light whirled on him, pressing one hand to his mouth to keep him quiet as he pressed him bodily against the wall. That swooping sensation was back, and his head was reeling a little from the adrenaline rush, acutely aware of the feeling of warm, solid weight holding him in place, and skin-to-skin contact; Light’s fingers clutching his were warm, and a little clammy... and his fingers pressed to L’s mouth were sending little shockwaves across his skin at each minute shift. An embarrassingly breathy sound escaped him when Light pulled his hand away from his mouth and he _stared_ , eyes wide in the dark, as Light surged forward to replace his fingers with his own mouth. Abruptly, his focus narrowed down to just Light, and he distantly heard the clatter of his own laser gun falling from suddenly nerveless fingers. The whole thing was... sudden, and sloppy, but that could be forgiven as it was dark. It was also _indescribably_  hot, and he could feel his own fingers convulsing in Light’s grip as he let out a muffled sound into the kiss, unsure of how to react. Light pulled back enough to let L see the devious grin on his face.

“What’s the matter?” he whispered, pressing his hand just beside L’s head for leverage. “Didn’t see that one coming?”

L’s voice wasn’t working, and his mouth hung slack as he stared at Light. Apparently, his body was reacting more quickly than his brain, because he didn’t even realize that his hips had shifted against Light’s, or that his gaze had fallen heavy to his lips until the teen chuckled and murmured, “Ohhh, you want more, _**L**_?”

He hissed in a breath, licking his lips as a thrum of arousal shot through him at the way Light said his name, low and sensuous. His eyes narrowed, snapping back up to Light’s as he reached up to grip weakly at the teen’s shirt - and he found his voice.

“ _Do it._ ”

Light’s grin grew wicked. And he did. He kissed L again. And this time, L kissed _back_. Teeth clacked, and they had to change angles when L gasped into the kiss, trying to breath, but he tugged at Light’s shirt when the teen tried to pull away, licking clumsily into his mouth with a determined effort. Light just chuckled breathily into the kiss and shifted his position, which ended with one knee pressed in between L’s legs, and he found himself gasping Light’s name and shuddering from the contact. In the end it was L who broke the kiss, head falling back against the wall with a dull thud as he breathed heavily, trying desperately to kickstart his brain into some semblance of order.

_This is crazy. The others are all here, and we’re making out in the dark like hormone addled teenagers, what am I doing?_ L thought, gazing at Light through heavy lidded eyes.

“We have to stop, Light,” he said, voice low and cracking as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Do we?” Light murmured, leaning in to brazenly lick a stripe up L’s neck, and L could _feel_ him smiling at the moan that dropped from his lips. “I don’t want to.”

“Yes, we _do_ , we’re in a public place,” L breathed, gripping Light’s shirt tightly and shoving away a little, using all the willpower he had to resist the temptation to pull him back in for another kiss. If he did that, he wasn’t sure how far they would take this before they got caught. _And I’ve never done anything like this before with anyone_ , he thought to himself, eyeing Light critically. He felt Light’s hold on his other hand loosening, and he relaxed a bit when Light eased away from him... but that brazen smile was still on the teen’s lips. Not only that, but it looked like Light was starting to kneel down, both hands now ghosting along L’s sides, and a conflicted, aroused panic seized him. Surely Light wouldn’t do _that_ \- not here in a public space, not with his father just outside the maze, _not when he had said no_ and the rest of the task force was who knew how close-

“Bang.”

L blinked, and his fallen laser gun was now pressed into his stomach as Light knelt at his feet. It had been a ruse. It had.... _of course it had been a ruse_. And he had to admit, as angry and confused (and heavily aroused) as he was, that it had been a brilliant distraction. He stared for a long moment as he fought once again to steady his breathing, and finally closed his eyes, mouth twisting into an ugly grimace.

“You win, Light-kun,” he finally said, when he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack with anger. He couldn’t quite keep the bitter note out of his voice. He felt it when Light stood back up, almost uncomfortably close but not touching this time.

“I know,” came the breathy reply, Light’s warm breath ghosting over his cheek. L shivered and slowly opened his eyes, turning his head enough to meet Light’s gaze. They were close enough that he could have rocked forward just enough that their lips would graze, and he found himself highly tempted to do so. But since it had all been a (hopeless, cruel) ruse to trick him, L stayed carefully still, eyes never leaving Light’s.

“We should get back, Light-kun,” he prompted, after a long moment. Light smiled, his smug expression softening as he reached out to lightly graze his fingers over the back of L’s hand. L stiffened and gently moved his hand away, but didn’t move otherwise, and the soft expression slowly melted into uncertainty.

“L?” The unspoken ‘ _is everything alright_ ’ implied by the simple question was hesitant, and L turned away, not wanting Light to see the conflict raging within him right then. Better to treat this as just a failed experiment than show that he might actually _want_ any of what Light had sparked off in him.

“Ryuzaki,” he reminded Light, not unkindly. Without waiting for Light to say anything else, he walked back the way they had come, scooping up Light’s discarded laser gun on the way. He heard a small, pained sound behind him, barely audible... and he just couldn’t bring himself to give Light his usual taunt: ‘ _The probability of Light-kun being Kira has just risen to 25%_.’ The words would have tasted too bitter this time, and he had nothing sweet to swallow them down with.


End file.
